of niagara falls



E BAUER [LAMP VOLTAGE REGULATING MEANS.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 2 7. I917- Patented Dec. 2, 1919.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ERNST BAUER, F NIAGARA FALLS, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO U. S. LIGHT & HEAT CORPORATION, OF NIAGARA FALLS, NEW YORK, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

LAMP-VOLTAGE -REGULATING MEANS.

Specification of letters Patent.

Application filed July 27, 1917. Serial No. 183,046.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ERNST BAUER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Niagara Falls, in the county of Niagara and State of New .York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Lamp-Voltage- Regulating Means, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to lamp voltage regulating means.

More particularly the invention relates to electrical systems having-a variable voltage source, such for instance, as a car lighting system in which it is desirable to maintain a substantially constant voltage across the translation circuit. A great deal of difliculty has been experienced with lamp voltage regulators in use in car-lighting systems for the reason that they are called upon to take care of wide variations in the supply voltage and wide variations in the lamp load. Forinstance, a heavy loadmay be used when the generator is inoperative. At this time, the resistance of the lamp regulator should be very small. At other times a w lamp load is used when the voltage across the terminals of the storage battery is high. At such times it is necessary that the lamp voltage regulator have a considerable resistance.

An object of the present invention is to provide a lamp voltage regulating means aving a maximum range and involving only simple mechanism.

A further object is to provide a lamp voltage regulator of the compressible pile type in which novel means are'provided for tightly compressing the pile when it is desirable that'said p1le should have a low resistance.

Referring to the drawings:

Figure 1 represents diagrammatically one embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 2 represents a modification.

Referring first to Fig. 1, the numeral 1 indicates the armature of a generator which may be driven from the car axle. This armature has associated therewith a field winding 2 which may be connected across the terminals of the armature. Any preferred means may be employed to procure any desired characteristic of the generator. Such means have been indicated schematitally by the compressible rheostat 3 WhlOh is connected in circuit with the field winding 2.- It will be understood that this rheostat- 3 may be operated by any preferred means to produce the desired regulation of the generator.

The armature l supplies mains 4 and 5. Across these mains are connected a circuit containing a storage battery 6 and a second circuit containing lamps 7. An automatic switch 8 is connected in the main 4.

This automatic switch may be of any preferred construction. The action of the automatic switch is well understood and will not be explained in this connection further than to state that it will automatically close when the voltage developed by the armature 1 is substantially equal to or greater than the voltage developed by the storage battery 6, and will automatically open when the voltage developed by the armature 1 ialls 'below that of the storage battery 6.

Proper regulation of the lamp circuit is obtained by means of a rheostat 9. The rheostat 9 is of the compressible pile type and through variations in the resistance, serves to maintain a substantially constant voltage across the lamps. The rheostat 9 is illustrated as being composed of a pair of piles 9 and 9 arranged with their axes substantially parallel. A yoke 10 is adapted to operate on adjacent ends of the piles 9 and 9", which yoke is operated by a lever 11 pivoted at the point 12. The lever 11 is operated by a bell crank lever 13, pivoted at the point 14. The bell crank lever 13 is responsive to a relay 15, which will now be described.

The relay 15 is rovided with a pair of plungers 16 and 1 of magnetic material arranged coaxially and connected by means of a rod 18 of non-magnetic material. The plunger 17 is adapted to be controlled by means of a coil 19 which is connected across the lamp circuit through the adjustable resistance 20. The plunger 16 is adapted to be controlled by the coil 21 which is connected across the terminals of the automatic switch 8. If desired, each of the plungers 16 and 17 may be surrounded by a cylinder of magnetic material to provide a closed magnetic circuit. The cylinder surrounding the plunger 16 is indicated by the numeral 22 and the cylinder surrounding the plunger 17 is indicated by thenumeral 23,

Patented Dec. 2, 1919.

It will be obvious that each of the coils 19 and 21 has its own distinct magnetic circuit. As will be seen from the drawing, plungers 16 and 17 are connected to the bell crank lever 13 whereby the bell crank lever 13 will be subject to the algebraic sum of the pulls of said plungers. The magnets are so desi ed that the coil 21, when energized, will tend to pull the plunger 16 m a direction to operate the bell crank lever 13 to cause compression of the piles 9 and 9", whereas coil 19, when energized, will tend to move the plunger 17 in such a direction as to cause the release of the pressure on said piles 9 and 9.

A mode of operation of the above described embodiment of the present invention is substantially as follows.

If the generator is at rest or operating at low speed, so that it is developing a voltage lower than the voltage of the storage battery, the automatic switch 8 will be open. At this time circuit through coil 21 may be traced from the positive lamps through coil 21, through generator armature 1 to the main 5. When the circuit of lamps 7 is closed, with automatic switch 8 open, the coil 21 will receive energization from storage battery 6 at this time, whereby coil 21 will attract plunger 16 to tightly compress the piles 9' and 9", whereby their resistance will be a minimum. The magnet comprising the cylinder 22 and plunger 16 will preferably be designed to exert a strong pull which will overpower the pull which coil 19 exerts on the plunger 17. When the armature voltage increases to a suflicient value,

due to speeding up of the train, the automatic switch will close, thereb short-circuiting the coil 21, throwing sai coil 21 out of effective circuit. At this time the coil 19 will be effective through its plunger 17 and associated parts to vary the pressure on the piles 9 and 9", to maintain a substantially constant voltage across the lam s.

The system illustrated in Fig. 2 differs from Fig. 1 in the connections of the coil 21. In Fig. 2 said winding 21 is adapted to be connected across the mains 4, 5, by means of a pilot relay 23. Said pilot relay 23 is provided with an operating winding 24: connected across the mains 4, 5, through an adustable resistance 25. Said pilot relay 23' operates a switch 26 which is arranged in series with the winding 21 to connect same across the mains 4, 5.

A mode of operation of the system illustrated in Fig. 2 is substantially as follows. The pilot relay 23' may be adjusted whereby, when the voltage across the mains is relatively low, the switch 26 will be closed, connecting coil 21, whereby the bell crank lever 13 will be operated to compress the rheostat 9. When the voltage rises across.

the mains, as when the generator speeds up,

the pilot relay 23' will open the switch 26 to render coil 21 ineffective whereby coil 19 will control the bell crank lever 13.

One embodiment of the present invention has been described in detail. Man modifications will occur to those skille in the art. It is intended that this patent shall cover all such modifications that come within the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In a system, in combination, a generator, charging mains, a switch responsive to the voltage across said mains, a storage battery, a lamp circuit, a compressible regulator for regulating said lamp circuit, electro- ,magnetic means for tightly compressing said regulator, said means being responsive to said switch and electro-magnetic means opposing said first mentioned electro-ma she means for relieving compression of sai regulator.

2. In a system, in combination, a generator, an automatic switch, a storage battery, a lamp circuit, a compressible re lator for regulating said lam circuit, e ectro-magnetic means for tig tly compressing and regulator, said means including a coil bridged across said automatic switch and electro-magnetic means opposing said first mentioned electromagnetic means for relieving compression of said regulator.

3. In a system, in combination, a generator, charging mains, a switch responsive to I the voltage across said mains, a storage battery, a lamp circuit, a compressible regulator for regulating said lamp circuit, means connected across said lamp circuit for controlling said regulator, and other means respon- I sive to said switch for opposing and over powering said first mentioned-means under certain circumstances.

4. In a system, in combination, a generator, charging mains, a switch responsive to 1 the voltage across said mains, a storage bat- ,tery, a lamp circuit, a compressible regulator for regulating sai lamp circuit, electromagnetic means for controlling said regulator, and other electro-magnetic means responsive to said switch for opposing said first mentioned means.

5. In a system, in combination, a genera-.

tor, an automatic switch, a storage battery a lamp circuit, a compressible regulator for regulating said lam circuit, opposed electromagnetic means or controll' said regulator, one of said means being mo ratlve when said automatic switch is cl 6. In a system, in combination, a generator, charging mains, means responsive to the voltage across said mains, a storage battery, a lamp circuit, a compressible regulator for regulating said 1am circuit, opposed elecr controlling and rega to 'be. regulated, a compressible regulator for regulating said circuit, opposed electro-magnetic means for controlling said regulator, one of said electro-magnetic means being ino erative when the voltage of said system an rises to a predetermined value.

8. In a system, in combination, a circuit to be regulated, a compressible regulator in circuit, a single operating means for said regulator, a switch whose closure is governed automatically in accordance with the voltage aeross said circuit, a pair of electro= magnetic controlling means for said operating means, said controlling means having opposing efi'ects on said operating means, one of said controlling means being responsive to said switch In witness whereof, I have hereunto sub= scribed my name.

ERNST BAUER. 

